Geology 112
Term Paper Directions
Due: April 21st
Purpose:
Write a 6-7 page term paper answering a question regarding an aspect of hazards and risks of either an
earthquake or volcano. The topic may be related to a specific event, related mitigation measure, or recovery
response. See list of topics below.
Term paper requirements:
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6-7 pages of text, double spaced, typed
You may use APA or MLA writing style: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
place illustrations after text
at least two illustrations, graphs or charts, cited within in text (Put effort into choosing these
figures either by importing directly from the website or neatly trimmed and pasted to another
pagetwo primary sources are required from scientific or geologic journals (Geology, Science,
Earthquake Engineering Research Institute or any other scientific journal)
Two other sources (not including Wikipedia and text)
citation of information using any standard format
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electronic submission to turnitin.com for analysis of any plagiarized portion
before class begins on due date(see directions below)
Bring hard copy to class
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Formatting:
Research paper should be printed on a computer printer or a typewriter using the following
standard format:
Do use a cover sheet with topic, your name, date and section number (no plastic
folders).
Double space entire manuscript, and leave a 1 inch margin on all sides of the page.
Use a 12 point, preferably Helvetica or Times.
Number pages at bottom and staple the paper in the upper left corner.
Avoid subtitles: paragraphs should be well developed and flow from one topic to another
Unstapled papers will not be accepted.
Originality:
This paper must be an original for this course, e.g., it cannot have been previously
submitted in another course.
Instructor review:
Instructor will review paper if submitted by April 12th. Feel free to ask for suggestions or help in
organization of paper anytime before due date.
Citations
All sources (including interviews) should be fully referenced, either footnotes or a reference list
keyed to internal citations (Smith, 1995, p 34). Consult a style manual for the appropriate format,
procedures. You must use internal citations, footnotes for:
o direct quotations (shown in quotation marks),
o ideas, sentences or paragraphs from other sources, even if
rewritten. Material covered in lecture can be considered
common knowledge, so you do not need a citation.
When citing a Web source, try to include all of the following:
 Specific author or source (e.g. Mary Smith, USGS or NASA)
 Date information was posted on the Web (look for this site was last
updated on, title of text, image, etc.)
 Complete URL (e.g. http//marysmith, usgs.gov)
 Date accessed by you.
Suggested term paper topics:
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Is my local municipality or county prepared for the results of a large earthquake?
How is my local municipality or county preparing for a large earthquake in the Bay Area?
The earthquake hazards expected in my neighborhood: why, what types and where?
Are the structures in my neighborhood expected to be earthquake resistant in case of an
earthquake? Why or why not?
Structural design of recent or ongoing construction in your municipality or county. What
methods were employed to build this structure to current building codes?
Structural design of major construction in downtown areas (office buildings, banks, etc).
What techniques are used to insure the structure will not fail during an earthquake?
Structural design, emergency plan, etc. of a hospital or school in your area. If there was
an earthquake in my neighborhood, what is the emergency plan, where are the
emergency services and where is the recovery location?
Seismic safety of the following features in/near the Bay Area: power plants major dams
port and rail facilities storage tanks and pipelines telephone, electricity, etc facilities
storage facilities for hazardous chemicals. What is the local utility company’s plan and
how will they respond in case of a large earthquake?
Seismic safety and Caltrans: highways, overpasses, interchanges, etc- Are our freeway
systems retrofitted for the next earthquake. What type of structures have failed in the past
and why? How have past failed structures influenced how new structures are constructed
or older structures retrofitted.
Why is the eastern span of the Oakland Bay Bridge being rebuilt and the western span
retrofitted. How is the design of the new Oakland Bay Bridge expected to perform during
a large magnitude earthquake?
What is the original and current Parkfield experiment?
What are Social impacts of an earthquake prediction?
Building codes in use in California (state, county, municipality). How have building codes
changed in California in response to earthquake damage?
What is the current status of the 500 unreinforced masonry buildings in San Francisco
that were tagged for retrofitting after the 1989 earthquake?
Retrofitting techniques: Explain and use specific examples of retrofitting techniques used
to strengthen weak structures.
How has your local municipality implementation seismic legislation at?
What is the state, county, municipality legal responsibility for damage and injury: public
buildings commercial buildings private residences?
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Emergency services/agencies for Bay Area EQ (OES, FEMA, Red Cross, county, city,
etc). What are the emergency services and their responsibilities? Go into detail about one
or two. Use specific examples. Avoid repeating all information on the websites.
Are there any volunteer EQ preparedness programs in your neighborhood or municipality
and what are their purpose and plan.
What are the projected economic effects of a major Bay Area earthquake if a large
magnitude earthquake were to occur on either the San Andreas or Hayward Faults?
Emergency response preparations for lifelines, emergency services, transportation
facilities. How will transportation issues be addressed after a major earthquake in the Bay
Area?
The insurance industry's approach to earthquake risk. How do insurance companies
evaluate earthquake risk?
How do governments respond to large volcanic or earthquake disasters? You may use
one of the following and go into great detail: Indonesia, 2004; Pakistan, 2005;Taiwan,
1999; Turkey; 1999; Iran, 2002; China, 2008; Italy, 2009; Sumatra, 2009; Samoa; 2009;
Haiti, 2010.
A paper containing a more in depth evaluation of one topic will earn a higher grade. A
paper containing a summary of many ideas will earn a lower grade.
The term paper must be submitted into turnitin.com by the
beginning of class time on the due date. No late copies will be
accepted. In addition a hard copy of each writing assignment
must be submitted within the first 10 minutes of class time on
the due date.
Turnitin.com id codes and passwords:
Section 1: 1030-1145
Class ID:
3091888
Password:
earthquakes1 (case sensitive)
Section 2: 1330-1445
Class ID: 3091890
Password: earthquakes2 (case sensitive)
Section 3: 0900-1015
Class ID:
3091891
Password:
earthquakes3 (case sensitive)
Section 4: 1330-1445
Class ID: 3091894
Password: earthquakes4 (case sensitive)